The present invention relates to a moxa treatment device which warms and stimulates the surface of an affected area of a person's body so as to stimulate the body and relieve the pain of the affected area.
Moxa treatment, or moxibustion, has been practiced from ancient times as a folk remedy for relieving the pain of an affected part such as the shoulder, back, waist or knee. Traditionally, a cone of "moxa" in the size of a rice grain is placed on the skin surface of the affected part, then the cone of moxa is lit by a fire of a stick of incense, and its heat of combustion is used to relieve the pain of the affected part. Moxa is made from fibers on the back of dried leaves of mugwort, an herb.
When moxa treatment is given directly on the skin surface of an affected part, the heat of combustion of the cone of moxa may be excessive and cause blisters on the skin surface of the affected part. Accordingly, in recent years, moxa treatment through another substance has been practiced. A thin layer of garlic, leek, miso or the like is placed on the skin surface of an affected part, and moxa is placed and burnt on the top of this layer. Heat is thus transmitted indirectly to the affected surface.
Another method of moxa treatment has also been practiced. Moxa is formed in the shape of a cigarette, one end of the formed moxa is ignited, and this ignited piece is inserted into a cylindrical holder. The holder is held by a hand and placed at the skin surface of an affected part to stimulate the affected part with the heat of combustion of the moxa.
In the case of the former moxa treatment through a layer of another substance, it is not easy to control the combustion of the moxa when placed on the top surface of the substance such as garlic, leak or miso, and the skin may be burnt.
In the case of the moxa treatment device using a cylindrical holder (see, for example, H02-38751/Japan Utility-model Reg. No. 1869300), it requires much trouble to adjust the ignited portion of the moxa in the cylindrical holder and to shift the holder, while it is held in position, to a different point on the affected part. The reason is that the stability of the cylindrical holder is not good. Hence the heat of combustion cannot be concentrated onto the affected part, and the thermal efficiency is low.